Keyhole Cichlids built a nest!

What I noticed in the past few days was the keyhole cichlids (Cleithracara maronii) were very aggressive to the other fish. As they have never done this before I decided to investigate.

Building a nest

What I saw today was that two of the Cichlids were very close together. On a rocky surface in the back I saw around a hundred tiny white dots, and both cichlids constantly at that same spot. I became clear to me: The keyhole cichlids are having babies!

A keyhole cichlid defending its eggs that were laid on a rocky surface near the filter drain.

Both parents show a lot of care for the eggs.

Both mum and dad of the keyhole cichlid show great care for their eggs.